Tax increase opponents argue against Prop. 30

Opponents of Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative gathered Wednesday in San Diego, arguing the measure on next week’s ballot doesn’t guarantee new money for classroom and raises the sales tax on the everyday items consumers need.

“We all want better schools, but Prop. 30 guarantees no money to the classroom and allows politicians to spend the money on anything they want,” said John Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “Their $50 million misinformation campaign can’t change the fact that Prop 30 is a $6 billion a year slush fund.”

The measure would increase the sales tax a quarter-cent on the dollar for four years and hike income taxes on a sliding scale for seven years on those making more than $250,000 a year. It would thwart nearly $6 billion in cuts to public schools and colleges in the current budget.

Brown argues that while the initiative doesn’t guarantee new funding for schools, the sheer percentage of state spending on education would mean much of the money would go to pay for public schools and colleges. His proposal faces competition from another high-profile initiative. Opponents of Brown’s plan argue he is offering a false choice between raising taxes or cutting education spending.

On Wednesday, they highlighted comments by Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom in San Francisco that Brown was slow to mount an earnest push for his measure and that the governor was wrongly telling college students there wouldn’t be tuition hikes if it passes.

“My big concern is, we went down yesterday and said there will be no tuition increase if you support this,” Newsom said in the Oct. 17 interview, a day after Brown spoke to students in Los Angeles. “That’s just not true. You can’t say things like this.”

Newsom’s comments gained wider attention after appearing in a column by the Sacramento Bee’s Dan Morain.